Expert Pick of the Week: 2022 Smarty Jones Stakes

Dec 30, 2021 John Mucciolo/TwinSpires.com

A full field of 14 newly turned three-year-olds will travel one mile in Saturday’s $250,000 Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn Park. The 2022 Road to the Kentucky Derby series event will reward the top four finishers with qualifying points on a 10-4-2-1 structure.

The John Ortiz-trained Barber Road was unplaced on debut then added blinkers for his second career outing, and the equipment change did wonders for the son of Race Day. A winner in a maiden claiming contest at 1 1/16 miles at Keeneland three back, the gray cruised home an easy winner over starter allowance foes two prior which preceded a fine runner-up result in the Lively Shively S. beneath the Twin Spires most recently. He is the Expert Pick of the Week.

Barber Road was bred in the Bluegrass State and brought a modest $15,000 at auction as a weanling, and that price has turned out to be quite the bargain. The colt possesses good early presence and a fine turn of foot, and the eight-furlong voyage seems ideal for the improving youngster. He will be within string range throughout while prompting the pace under the guidance of the red-hot Reylu Gutierrez.

Gary and Mary West’s homebred Home Brew is 2-for-3 and handled this surface with ease when taking an allowance tilt in gate-to-wire fashion here in his latest endeavor. The bay son of Street Sense aced his initial route test most recently as well, and the Brad Cox pupil drew well to save ground throughout the race with Florent Geroux in the silks. Home Brew readied for Saturday with a sharp half-mile breeze on the oval in his latest morning move.

Dash Attack won on debut over a good, sealed surface at the distance for Kenny McPeek. The Munnings colt earned a respectable 87 Brisnet Speed number for his work, and with expected improvement, he will be a factor inside the final furlong after receiving a ground-saving trip beneath David Cohen.

An exacta with #10 Barber Road on top of #3 Home Brew and #1 Dash Attack in the Smarty Jones S. is the Best Bet of the Week.